In the BOH series What I Love, we’re asking designers to build us a mood board of what’s inspiring them right now.
Nicola Harding creates characterful spaces that exude livability. Currently in the midst of renovating her family’s Georgian home in Bristol, England, the London-based designer’s current mood board showcases a thoughtful curation of the pieces she’s longing to make room for. “Though it is a city townhouse, the view from our bedroom is onto green, rolling Somerset hills,” she tells Business of Home.
Richard Ballinger’s “Green Valley, 2025” painting served as the starting point for the flat lay—which evokes the home’s vistas—inspiring a warm, enveloping backdrop of neutral pink paint and olive green zellige tile. Colorful accents, including cobalt blue table lamps and aubergine upholstery, energize the scheme, while classic finishes like black-stained oak ground the design in natural materials. “The items here are drawn together by the way the colors dance off each other,” says Harding.
The end result is equal parts elegant and approachable, brimming with inviting textures, interesting patterns and antique-minded accents. “It feels like the quiet beauty and fresh energy of an early morning, that needs to be savored before the rest of the world wakes up,” she explains.
Here, Harding breaks down the details, from a leather-bound notebook to an ebonized oak desk.
1. BAU ZHU FABRIC IN AUBERGINE BY NAMAY SAMAY
“This print strikes just the right balance between strength and softness. I’m drawn to the aubergine background—it’s a wonderful foil for other colors. I used this on a pendant light by Soane, which I hung in a dining room in Tuscany, against a peacock-blue grasscloth wallcovering. To me, colors make the most sense in combination.”
2. CONVENT CUPBOARD BY MATTHEW COX
“This cupboard by Matthew Cox is the epitome of elegance.”
3. URN LAMP IN CARTONE BLUE BY HOWE LONDON FOR THE LACQUER COMPANY
“The perfect size [lamp, it’s] a fabulously useful way to punctuate a space.”
4. JONQUIL BY EDWARD BULMER NATURAL PAINT
“Edward Bulmer’s pink Jonquil works as easily as a warm neutral. His natural paints are best in class, in every possible way.”
5. KNURL PAPER IN WOAD BY HOWE AT 36 BOURNE STREET
“36 Bourne Street has long made wonderfully nostalgic papers and fabrics, and I am obsessed with Knurl paper in Woad. I will be using it to decorate my son’s new bedroom!”
6. RUSTIC LEATHER JOURNAL BY NKUKU
“Not only is it endlessly useful, [but] this unlined notepad’s natural leather cover makes it a romantic finishing touch to any scheme.”
7. “GREEN VALLEY, 2025” BY RICHARD BALLINGER
“Richard’s work is wondrously joyful.”
8. GRAND UNION SIDE TABLE IN HONED VERDE GUATEMALA MARBLE BY NICOLA HARDING FOR DRUMMONDS
“The search for the perfect waterproof side table is off: Problem solved! This little beauty works just as well next to a freestanding bath as it does next to a cocktail chair.”
9. ZELLIGE TILE IN 1122 BY MOSAIC FACTORY
“I have something of an addiction to zellige tiles. I find myself harnessing their iridescent colours and quietly reflective quality in all sorts of unexpected ways.”
10. EARLY BIRD SCENTED CANDLE BY PAUL SMITH
“The reusable colored glass containers are as dreamy as the scent.”
11. SILK JAJIM CUSHION BY NUSHKA
“These cushions work well individually or generously grouped together in multiple tones.”
12. PROSE DESK IN COAL BLACK BY NIX BY NICOLA HARDING
“Our Prose desk is the perfect writing or dressing table. I enjoy placing it next to a bed, with an attractive stool tucked under, so that it can serve the additional purpose of a bedside table.”
13. CORDOBA RUG IN MAUVE BY VANDERHURD
“My favorite pattern by dear friend and mentor Christine Van Der Hurd. I have used this rug in several colorways, and am lucky enough to have one in my own home.”
14. CLASSICAL CREAMWARE MUG BY JOHN JULIAN AT PENTREATH & HALL
“A classically styled creamware mug, handmade in England. A happy addition to the breakfast table.”
15. FOCUSED FLOOR LAMP IN WAXED BRASS BY NIX BY NICOLA HARDING
“This light was inspired by an antique find. I love the way that it can tuck in close to a piece of upholstery, and you can adjust the height and angle to cast a bewitching glow to the fabric and administer a useful punch of light to read by.”
